Many devices or software solutions are currently marketed to consumers as “always listening,” including Amazon Echo® (a.k.a. Alexa™), Google Home™, Apple HomePod™ and Siri® on Apple® devices. However, these devices are configured to always listen for their respective “wake up” words, upon receipt of which the devices will only continue to record additional speech for a period of time (e.g., a single complete command, string or query proceeding their wake up words, ending with a pause). These wake up words let the devices know when a command or query is directed to these devices such that the immediate proceeding speech data is captured and processed; and no other speech data is intended to be recorded or sent to the cloud in any way, shape or form, in order to safeguard the security and protect privacy of audible data spoken by users.
The current “always listening” devices would more appropriately be termed “always listening for a wake up word,” and are, in fact, inactive and dormant in response to most speech, rather than “always” analyzing and determining a response to received speech and commands.
Further, these devices only respond by complying with a single command or responding to a single query; they are unable to comply or intuitively follow a series of commands or queries due to the limitations of the current systems and methods of “listening.”
Current market-available solutions for protecting data use a physical button on the surface of the device to provide users complete control over the microphone and whether these devices can listen at all. Requiring a manual button to ensure enabling and disabling the microphone is inconvenient when consumers expect voice-only control, and is not a satisfactory solution. Device manufacturers primarily offer it for the users' peace of mind.
Some systems control “always listening” status by software means, which are always at risk of external digital intruders hacking in and stealing audible or speech data from the microphone.
Consumers are unlikely to trust that these devices and security protocols will completely protect their privacy, especially if there is no direct speech control provided over the “always listening” function.
The current methods of using “wake up” words and security software protocols are time and labor intensive to constantly develop, maintain, and improve—while still failing to achieve guaranteed security of muting the device when a user so desires.
Most current technological focus has been emphasized on improving the mechanics or the “how-to's” of detecting audible speech, improving accuracy and offering “faster responses”—where the latter has been focused on pre-defining rules and programs to respond to queries or pre-analyzing past behaviors which is extremely limited given the vast possible variety of queries and commands or desired assistance that millions of users would have, each more than likely to be unique.
Device makers and other advertisers compete to balance delivering the most desired assistance at the most applicable timing, subject relevancy, based on user need and receptiveness, with being perceived by the user as non-intrusive and non-disruptive.